Ruby Red grapefruit cookies

In my kitchen, I have one drawer. Clearly, this greatly limits the amount of stuff I can possess, unless I want my kitchen to creep into other parts of my apartment. (Actually, it already does, as my stand mixer lives on my dining table/desk.) But I’m not complaining, as I like to keep my tool kit efficient. That said, sometimes I fail to add something that could make my life a little bit easier, like a cookie scoop, for example.

Making cookies is fun for me. And apparently it’s something that I’ve done all my life, as there are pictures of as a toddler me standing on a chair helping my mom roll out balls of dough. The family tradition of young people baking with older ones is timeless. How many of you recall baking cookies as a child with your mother or grandmother? For many, it’s their first introduction to the kitchen.

My mom was recently visiting my brother and his family, which includes my two nephews—one who is two months old and the other who is two years old. The baby is very cute and likes to smile a lot, but he’s not quite ready to make cookies just yet. But my toddler nephew loves to spend time in the kitchen, and had been asking her since she arrived: “Grandma, when are we going to bake cookies?” The tradition continues.

She then turned to me for help. I had promised to send her a recipe, and my new purchase had prompted me to spend the better part of the past few days testing batch after batch after batch. Thankfully, the scoop made things a little easier, though it didn’t prevent me from eating half the cookie dough, which I’m sure many of you can agree is perhaps the best part. Ruby Red grapefruits are at their peak right now and whenever I spot them at my local store, I grab them because the good ones from Texas aren’t always available in New York. While there are countless good things to do with grapefruit (such as this Ruby Red sheet cake), since I was already in cookie mode that’s what I decided to make instead.

There wasn’t much to do, really, as I simply added some fresh juice and zest to my basic sugar cookie recipe. The flavor is delicate, but the Ruby Red’s sweet and sour tang is definitely there. I’m also a big fan of the texture, as they’re a little crunchy and a little chewy. When you take a bite, the crisp outer layer soon gives way to a soft buttery center. And before you know it, the cookie is gone and I can guarantee you’ll reach for another one soon.

If you’re baking with your grandkids this weekend, you’ll want to make these cookies. Or if you’re baking for yourself and your friends, you’ll want to make these, too. I insist, however, that you share them with someone, as these Ruby Red grapefruit cookies are just too good to be eaten on their own.

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Ruby Red grapefruit cookies

Servings24cookies

AuthorLisa Fain

Ingredients

1 1/2cupssugar, plus more for dipping

1/2cup1 stick butter, softened

1large egg, beaten

1teaspoonvanilla extract

2tablespoonsRuby Red grapefruit juice

1tablespoonRuby Red grapefruit zest

2cupsall-purpose flour

2teaspoonsbaking powder

1/2teaspoonground cinnamon

1/4teaspoonkosher salt

Pinchof ground ginger

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and either lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together the sugar and the butter until well combined. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit zest until well combined. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and ginger and then combine with the liquid ingredients until a soft dough is formed. (This is supposed to be a soft dough, but if you find it’s too soft then chill it for 15 minutes before proceeding.)

Pour some granulated sugar into a bowl and then form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Dip each dough ball into the sugar and then place on the sheet 2-inches apart, as they’ll spread as they bake. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just set. They’ll be puffy when they come out of the oven but as they cool they’ll flatten and form those glorious cracks in the surface. Continue for the rest of the dough.

I love all citrus cookies, so now I need to try these. My first cookies were made in my grandmother's kitchen, and as she was a mother of 7 during the Great Depression, her cookie cutter was a drinking glass, always.

I really love my cookie scoop and will always make room for it. It's so fast and efficient to use one, and it helps me get them evenly baked. I have this theory that it would be great for making cookie dough balls to freeze and use later, however I always just bake the whole batch and worry about later, later!

I just made these — they're sitting on my counter cooling, taunting me. I rubbed the zest into the sugar before creaming it with the butter, but otherwise followed the recipe. So excited to have these.

YUM. It took me 35 years to appreciate grapefruit and it was so worth the wait. Can't wait to try these. BTW I have bluebonnets growing all over my backyard! I will have to post some pics soon – the previous owner of our house went wild with the seeds and they took!

These look great, as I love Ruby Red's – but I was drawn to the link you provided for the Ruby Red sheetcake. It calls for 1 cup of pecans added to the cake mix. But there are pecans in the frosting in the photo. Are those in addition to the 1 cup? Did you mix them in or just sprinkle on top? Hope to make this this weekend;) Thanks, Anne

Alisa–Your bluebonnets have already started to bloom? Wow! It's so early! I'm not going to be in Austin until early April, so I sure hope I don't miss them this year.

Anne–Can you believe that recipe has been made countless times by folks and no one's ever spotted that! Ha! In any case, that 1 cup of pecans definitely goes in the cake batter, and if you want to add pecans to the frosting, too, I'd add anywhere from 1/2 cup to a cup, chopped.

These are amazing! I woke up at 3 am and decided to go bake this. I had a bunch of tangerines and ruby reds, and was debating to add the juice and rind of them as well. Glad I didn't. Just pure grapefruit flavour. Wonderful taste! I can't thank you enough for a great new cookie. Thanks again from a Fort Worth native. I'm sorry you're in NYC. I don't think I could ever leave this great state. I love your blog, and check it daily. Plan to order your book very soon. Come home early if you want to see the bluebonnets. The wildflowers are going to bloom early this year. They seem to come earlier every year. Thank you Lady Bird Johnson!

I just made these because I had some fabulous Ruby Reds from my CSA box, although I decided to take a French spin on them and substitute dried lavender for the cinnamon and ginger… OMG they were fabulous! Tart and slightly floral – so so good!

I have been reading through your blog this morning, and I just love it. Following along now.I'm a Texas girl, and I love it dearly! Fort Worth has always been my home. I love so many of your recipes here. Best wishes,nicollexo

More deliciousness to fuel my ruby red grapefruit obsession. I guess that's why G&S sells them in 10 lb bags…. Can't wait to make these! The first of the bluebonnets are blooming at the Wildflower Center here in Austin. I think you'll have plenty of time to catch them if you're here in early April!

Just made the cookies for some relatives visiting Texas from out of state. I had trouble getting a tablespoon of zest, so although delicious and soft, the cookies rather resembled sugar cookies. Do you have any recommendations for zesting a grapefruit?

Amy–Do you have a zester? I use a zester and zest the grapefruit before slicing, which makes it easier. There's plenty of skin you shouldn't have a problem getting a tablespoon. You can also use a Microplane, but I find you need to be careful with those as they are so sharp they reach the white pith, which you want to avoid as it's bitter.

Microplaners make zesting easy. I used to struggle with recipes calling for citrus zest. If you have a lot of grapefruit, make some candied grapefruit peel. Oh, yummy! Not everyone loves it, but I do. My granny made it every Christmas–candied orange peel, too.Becky

These are fantastic! I will admit, I was skeptical. I made them for my boyfriend who loves grapefruit. He loved them, I loved them, and everyone else who tried them loved them. Baking time is very important. I've made these twice and each batch (probably 4-6 cookie sheet's worth) came out a little bit different. Some were definitely underbaked (but still delicious). I suggest waiting a little bit longer than the time it takes for the edges to just set. I would take them out when they begin to look a little crinkly (though a lot of that will come while they cool). Thanks for the recipe Lisa!

I made these last weekend and thought they were really wonderful. I added extra grapefruit zest to the bowl of sugar for rolling the dough balls. I just may make them again this weekend. Thanks so much for a new keeper cookie recipe!

I made these this morning for the Ladies' Art League. They have just the faintest hint of grapefruit flavor, and they were enjoyed by one and all. Using a #50 scoop, my dough made 28 cookies. I used turbinado sugar to roll them in an got a very nice crisp exterior and a wonderfully chewy interior. Thanks so much for this recipe. HT!

No ruby reds to be found here in Amsterdam, but we do have a big bag of Florida grapefruits. They are delicious. I just finished making these cookies (and inhaling 5 of them immediately)…yum! The texture is a perfect mix of chewy and crispy. I will add more zest next time for a little more citrus zing, and might swap the regular salt for sea salt flakes. I like my cookies sweet and salty! Love the recipe, though. Thanks!

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